Building construction.



J. C. PELTONI BUILDING CONSTRUCTION. APPLICATION FILED JAN. e, 1906.

Patented Aug. 10, 1909.

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BUILDING CONSTRUCTION,

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 8, 1906.

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Patented Aug. 10, I969 J. C. PELTON.

BUILDING CONSTRUCTION.

APPLICATION FILED ulm, 1906.

' will II JOHN: O OSTER PELTON, OF SAN FRANGISGO, CALIFORNIA.

BUIBDING GONS'DRUCTION.

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, J on): CosTER PELTON, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at San Francisco, inv the county of San Fran c-isco andState of California, have invented new and useful Improvements inBuilding Construction, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements made in building construction in'which spaced studs, beams and plates combined in various ways forn askeleton wall or a floor with hollow spaces that are filled with plasticmaterial.

This invention has for its object the production of a compositefire-proof structure for the walls, fioor and other parts of a.building, in .which' the requisite strength with a minimum weight ofmaterial and several other important qualities, such as rapidity inconstructing, and arelativel-y low cost are obtained.

Vith these ends inview my invention embraces several novel features inthe construction of spaced studs, beams or girders, bracesandfurring-strips, and the combinaiiOll thereof with a filling ofa'plastic composition as here'ina'fter fully described and pointed outin the claims at the end of this .c specification.

The accompanying drawings herein referred to illustrate what I considerto be the best application and embodiment of my said improvements in theCODSilllCtiOll of an outer-or an inner wall and the floor of a building.Figuret is a view in perspective of aportionof a side-wall and floor ina buildingconstruction embodying my invention, showing the inner face ofthe wall and also the iioor broken away in several planes; Fig. 1 is avertical cross-section through the floor beam; Fig. 2 is a horizontalsection through a portion of a wall st-ructure'betore the lath andplaster finish, are applied. -Fig.' 3 is a view in horizontal sectionthrough the sheetmetal members of the wall-structure, show ing the partsseparated, but in their relative position.- Fig. dis a horizontal?sectionalview of a portion of an outer wall showing the manner ofarranging the plates to place,

the filling of plastic material next the out side facing of the front ofthe building. Fig. 5 isa similar section of a portion of a wall in whichthe solid filling is situated next the inner facing or finish of thewall.

Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed January 8, 1906.Serial No. 295,200.

flattened against the other member.

Patented; Aug. 1909.

Fig. 6 is a perspectiveview of a portion of one of the metal studs.zonta-l cross-section through the stud on the line a m Fig. 6. Fig. 7 isa cross-section at a:y Fig. 6. Fig. 8 is a sectional-view of the twomembers of the stud before they are locked together. Fig. 9 isa view inperspec- Fig-7 is a hori- 7 tive of the sectional sheet-metal braces orarched plates between the studs, showing the -manner of locking thesections together.

Fig. 10 is a perspective-viewof a portion of a furring-strip. Fig. 11 isa cross-section of the strip. Fig. 12 is a modification in which studsof wood are used in place of metal studs.

One part oiufeature of my invention relates to a sheet metal stud, orbeam, of novel construction formed of two parts or members of similarshape, each composed of aweb or central portion liaving. the two edgesflanged or turned in the same direction at right angles to the web fromend to end. The two members being placed back to back I with their webstogether, they are fastenedtogetherby tongues or'strips d on onememherand slits or openings 6 in the other mem ber of the stud, through whichthe tongues are inserted and then bent back over the edge of the slitsand finally clenched or The tongues (Z are formed in one way by cuttingthe metal ofthe web on three lines extending around the three sides of arectangle and then bending the separatedv portion laterally onthetrelnaining side where it is attached to the web, so that it standsout from the openin .e. The two members a a of the stud being settogether with. the openings in alinement, the tongues on one member areinserted throughthe slits e in the opposite member with which they standin line, and

while the tongue at each opening in one.

member is clenched over the edge of the slit in the other, through whichit is inserted, the corresponding tongue on the ot-her member is turnedthrough the same slit and clenched in the opposite direction. This willbe understood by referring to Figs. '7 and 8 of the drawing in which thetongues (Zal that are formed of the metal of the member a are clenchedagainst the web of theother stud-member 0. whereas the tongues d d? ofthe stud-member a are inserted through the openings from the oppositedirection and clenched against the member a. The interlocking tonguesbeing thus bent and clenched required for fastening together themembersof the stud, will depend on the, dimensions of the stud, butusually they are arranged in two rows extendin lengthwise of the studand spaced atregular intervals apart, with the tongues in one row spacedto alternate with those in the other row, as shown in Figs. 6 and 7. Inthat arrangement also the portion of metal that is separated from theweb to form the opening 6 is left at-v tached on one side tothe web toform a tongue at each opening soas to provide each stud-member with atongue to enter the 25 opening of the other stud-member, and also withan opening to receive the tongue of such opposite stud member. It shouldbe understood, however, that one of these tongues at every opening maybe omitted or dispensed with byremoving it altogether at the time ofcutting the openings without departing from the esential feature of' theconstruction; as for example by cutting off. the metal that is left onthe stud-members to form the tongues d al and using only the tongues dd? for the fastening means.

In constructing a wall, a number of studs A. are set upright at requiredintervals apart, and between them are placed arched plates or braces Fextending from one stud to the next, with the ends of the braces restingagainst the studs. In the preferred construction each brace is composedof two arched plates flanged at the endsto increase the extent ofbearing surface between the ends and the studs against which they restas well as to stiifen the edges of the metal and having flat portionsinside the flanges 7', from which the arched portion of the platesprings in a curve of greateror less radius; according to the distancebetween the studs. These arched plates F being set together'in pairs inthe space betweentwo studs inclose a central space between them and alsodivide the space between the studs longitudinally through the middleinto two compartments which are closed in on the outer side by fixingthe plates or sheets G to the flanged edge of the studs. These platesare of such dimensions that the joints fall on the lineof the stud whenthe joints run vertically, as shown in the construction illustrated inFig. 1, although this is not essential in all cases, as the plates maybe laid together with the joints running hori'zon tally. After a numberof studs are set up and the plates G secured in place in this manner thearched braces are placed in position between thestuds, after which thespaces between the' braces and the outer plates and the studs are filledwith a composition or mixture in a plastic state having the quality ofbecoming hard-and solid when set, but the space inside the brace is lefthollow or unfilled. The material for this purpose should be sufficientlyplastic at the time of use to fill the space in the skeletonframeinclosed by the outer plates and the braces and openings in the studsthrough which the space on one side of each stud is in communicationwith the corresponding space on the opposite side, so that on be- Icoming set the filling will form a solid body extending on some linescontinuously and longitudinally of the wall both in a horizontal and ina vertical direction. Any of the well-known compositions of plaster orof mixtures used in concrete constructionare well adapted for thefilling. It should be tage. By reason also of the peculiar form andmanner of combining the metal parts or members of the structure, metalof rela tively light weight and small gage can be used with safety.

In one application of this construction the platesG are fastened inplace temporarily to retain the concrete filling until it has becomeset, and are then removed so as .to expose the face of the concrete.lVhen the plates are to be removed I secure them temporarily by means oflong bolts T, passed through the channels it which are formed in thestuds a a for that purpose, as seen in Figs. 6 and. 7 in which thumbnutsT are screwed after the plates G are placed in position. By this meansthe vpla tes are readily removed after'the concrete has become hard.

The sameparts that enter into the construction of a wall apply as wellto the construction of the floor of a building; the only differencebetween the two constructions consisting in the use of a single archedbracebetween the beams, instead oftwo oppositely-set arches, and in theomission of the filling material from the space on one side ,of thebrace. v

Figs. 1 L and 5 represent the two constructions embodying theabove-described features; and Fig. 4 may be taken to illus-- trate avvertical cross-section, of a floor with the under surface finished withlathing and.

platesindicated-at D Fig. 5-is tied tov the plates at intervals byanchors, tie-rods or strips of metal secured to the plates atintervalsbetween the courses and embedded in the mortar.

When the surfaces are finished in plaster a foundation of sheet-metal orwire-lathing' L is prepared by fixing furring-strips at intervals apartagainst the plates and fastening the lathing in place by nailing intothe strips. The furring-strips which I have provided for this purposeare of novel character in being formed with a nail-groove, or channel7), into which nails may be readily driven to fasten the lathing atdiffcrent points along the strip. This construction and the manner ofsecuring the strips to the plates of the skeleton-frame and the lathingto the strips, will be clearly understood from Figs. 4-, 5, and 11 ofthe drawings. A strip of sheet-metal of proper width and length is bentupon itself along central line. and each half is then bent backlongitudinally on a line parallel with the central bend. as at p 79 Fig.10. so that the strip has a form in cross section resembling the letterM with the middle members compressed. The outer edges of the strip arethen turned outward at an angle as seen at 2)", thus forming flanges bywhich the strip 7) is secured to the outer plates. These flanges areusually punched for nailing. The advantage of this form of furring-strip lie in its furnishing a backing into which nails may bedriven at any point in its length, so long as they are driven alongthe'line of the channel 32 with the result not only to insure a firmhold of the nail, but to greatly reduce the time and labor in fixing thelathing in place. A furring-stripof this character is applicable to theplaster finish for the inner or the outer wall, or for the ceiling.

Othercharacters or forms of finish may be substituted for the lath andplaster, such as embossed plates of sheet-metal, or other material, tothe use of which this construction is well adapted. The ceiling on theunder side of the floor in Fig; 1 is shownas having a finish of suchcharacter in place of the lath and plaster indicated in Fig. 4:. Figs. 4and 5 indicate slight modifications of the wall-construction in whichthe brace between the studs is composed of a single arched plate. In thearrangement shown in Fig. 5 the relative position of the concreteportion and the hollow spaces in the wall are reversed, the thickerportion of the wall being situated on the inside of the building. Theconstruction shown in. Fig. 4 is recommended for inner walls and inthose situations where the inner face of the wall is not exposed toextraordinaryv lateral pressure or impact.

The construction shown in Fig. 5- is well adapted to buildings where thewalls are not required to carry a heavy load or stand other heavystrains. The parts of the skeleton-frame are so arranged and combined inFig. d that the thick and more solid portion of the wall is turnedoutward whereas the inner face of the wall may be exposed to roughttreatment as in a factory, shop or warehouse.

The construction illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 are preferred forwallsthat are carried 12p to any considerable height or are exposed to heavystrains and stress.

The metal parts of this structure are made of such dimensions that theycan be handled and set in position without ditliculty, the tuds beingusually put together in the shop, and the braces made in sections ofconvenient length or height to be placed in position'between the studsas the work is carried upward. In one form of brace in which doublearched plates are joined together with their convex sides turnedoutward, the two members of the arch are formed each of two sectionsfastened together by'rivets. cr-preferabiy by interlocking tongue andslit t'astenings as shown in Fig. 9, and the sections compo-sing onearch or member are united by a locking joint consisting of a ilange onthe edge of one, and a groove on the edge of the other section. Eachunit or section of brace is thus composed of two members united byjoints extending vertically through the middle of the brace. Thisconstruction is well adapted for long and relatively heavy braces, as itenables the parts to be made in pieces or sections that can be readilyhandled or setin place. A lighter form or character of brace, on theother hand, may be formed of two single arched plates, which may or maynot be secured together before they are placed 111 position. It shouldbe mentioned that the brace-sections are formed or arranged to jointogether one upon another by butt joints, when set in place between thestuds; one section being lowered from above upon the previously setbraceso as to rest upon t.

The interlockin edges of the sections in the construct-ion il ustratedin Fig. 9 has the advantage of forming spacing ribs or projections onthe convex sides of the braces equal distance from the outer plates thatare placed against thestuds.

Fig. 12 illustrates a modification in which studs of wood are used inthe'structureiin place of metal studs, thereby reducing the cost ofconstruction to some extent, but chiefly affording a light constructionthat is well adapted for inner walls or partitions. In this constructionlathing L is nailed directly to the studs, and the braces F divide thespace between the studs into compartments that are filled with theplastic composition. This structure will be found to 15 possess goodfire-proof qualities. on account of the wood being embedded in andcovered by the body of plastic material on both sides. Where theconditions admit of the metal lathing being placed directly against thestuds so that it serves to retain the filling of plastic materialbetween the studs and also forms a foundationfor the plasterfinish, theconstruction can be further simplified and itscost reduced by omittingthe metal plates and using the well-known er; forated sheet metallathing or that whic is formed of twisted or woven wire.

The foregoing description is'intended to apply to metal lathing'as wellas to metal plates for closing in the sides of the skeleton frame toconfine and retain the -filling of plastic material. The term metalplates should be understood, therefore, to embrace lathing made of wireor of perforated sheetmetal. Having thus described my invention,'wha-tleis Patent is 1. In a building construction, the combination of studsspaced apart and provided with apertures, arched braces supportedbetween said studs, and a filling of concrete between the said studs andextending through the apertures therein and arranged on both sides ofthe arched braces, substantially as set forth. 1

2. In a building construction, the combination of. studs spaced apart,arched braces mounted between the. studs the braces being formed each ofa pair of curved or arched plates with flanged edges, the plates beingset together to inclose an open space hetween thefn, and with theirflanges resting -againstthe studs, and means secured tothe studs forsupporting the plaster ofthe wall,

substantially as set forth.

3. In a' building construction, the combi nation of studs spaced apart,plates secured to the studs, and metal furrmg strips se-- EDWARD plates,the furring strips being substantially M- haped in cross section, themiddle members of each strip lying close to-' gether to' form anoutward-opening nailing. groove and the outer members of the strip beingformed with flanges by which the stripmay be secured in placeto the faceof one of the said plates, substantially as set forth.

4. In a building construction, the combination of studs spaced a art,arched braces mounted between the stu s, a filiing'of concrete or thelike between the studs and inclosing the arched braces, plates securedto the studs, furring strips formed with nailing grooves and attachingfeet by which they are secured to the face ofthe plates, and supportingmeans for ,the plaster attached to said furring strips, substantially asset'forth. 1

5.- Ina building constriiction, the combi-' nation of studs spaced apartand provided with apertures, braces arranged between said studs, platesextending from one stud to the next and secured thereto, and a fillingof concrete or the like between the studs and between the braces and theplates, said concrete filling extendingthrough the apertures in thestuds so as to form a continuous 7. In abuilding-construction, thecombination of studs arranged at intervals apart and havingspacedopenings through them, arched braces between the studs dividingthe space between two adjacent studs, outer plates secured to the studsand inclosing the divided spaces on opposite sides of the.

arched braces, and a mass of plastic material fillingv said spaces andthe openings through the studs. a i

In testimony whereofI have hereunto set my name to this specificationinthe presence of twosubscribing witnesses. I I

' JOHN COSTER 'PELTON.

Witnesses: v

E. OsBoRN, HARRY J. LAVSK.

